Russian Drone and Missile Strikes Hit Kyiv, Causing Casualties
Two people were killed and at least 10 others were injured after Russia launched a major overnight attack on Kyiv with drones and missiles on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack came shortly after a short pause in airstrikes during a visit by U.S. peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who were in Kyiv as part of renewed efforts to find a way to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The attack began during the early hours of Tuesday and caused explosions across several parts of the Ukrainian capital. Fires broke out in at least five districts, while emergency workers were called to multiple damaged buildings. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said civilian infrastructure was damaged at 16 locations in Kyiv.
The Holosiivskyi district was among the areas badly affected. A 26-storey non-residential building was hit during the attack. At another location nearby, a fire spread from one building to another. Rescue teams searched damaged structures and managed to save one person from the rubble. Two more people were evacuated from an apartment in a damaged 16-storey residential building.
In the Solomianskyi district, debris hit a five-storey residential building, leaving several people trapped inside. Emergency workers rescued at least 10 people from the building. Fires and damage were also reported in the Darnytskyi and Podilskyi districts, where garages, vehicles and warehouses were affected.
The scale of the attack was significant. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russian forces launched dozens of missiles and a large number of drones. Ukrainian forces reported intercepting 31 cruise missiles, two ballistic missiles and 142 drones. Despite the air-defence efforts, strikes and falling debris caused damage at 29 locations.
The attack was not limited to Kyiv. Russian strikes were also reported in several other parts of Ukraine, including the Odesa region, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk. In Odesa, a market was damaged, while a multi-storey building in Kharkiv was hit. A train locomotive on the Kyiv-Sumy route was also attacked, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The latest strikes also raised concerns about the future of diplomatic efforts. Kushner and Witkoff had recently visited Moscow and Kyiv as part of the U.S. administration’s renewed attempt to restart peace negotiations. A temporary pause in attacks on Kyiv was observed during their visit, but the strikes resumed soon after the envoys left the Ukrainian capital.
Ukrainian officials strongly criticized the renewed attack. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for greater international pressure on Moscow and urged Ukraine’s allies to provide more air-defence interceptors. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that protecting major cities from ballistic missiles remains difficult because of limited air-defence resources.
Emergency crews continued working across Kyiv to put out fires, inspect damaged buildings and help residents affected by the attack. The latest assault has added to concerns that, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, the fighting remains intense and the possibility of a lasting ceasefire is still uncertain.